A subset of herpes simplex virus replication genes provides helper functions for productive adeno-associated virus replication.

Herpesviruses are helper viruses for productive adeno-associated virus (AAV) replication. To analyze the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) functions mediating helper activity, we coinfected HeLa cells with AAV type 2 (AAV-2) and different HSV-1 mutants defective in individual HSV replication genes. AAV replication was fully accomplished in the absence of HSV DNA replication and thus did not require expression of late HSV genes. In addition, HSV mutants lacking either the origin-binding protein or the functional DNA polymerase fully maintained the capacity to replicate AAV. Cotransfection of the cloned, replication-competent AAV-2 genome together with the seven HSV replication genes (UL5, UL8, UL9, UL29, UL30, UL42, and UL52) led to productive AAV replication. Cotransfections with different combinations of these genes demonstrated that a subset of four of them, coding for the HSV helicase-primase complex (UL5, UL8, UL52) and the major DNA-binding protein (UL29), was already sufficient to mediate the helper effect. Thus, the HSV helper activity for productive AAV replication seems to consist of DNA replication functions. This appears to be different from the helper effect provided by adenovirus, which predominantly modulates AAV gene regulation.